The White Stuff
Gearing Up for the Snow Day That's Sure To Come . . . We Hope

By Christina Breda Antoniades
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, January 14, 2007

You were ready for winter. You pulled out the woolly scarves, the fleece ear warmers, even those red thermal undies that you admit look a bit "Little House on the Prairie." You couldn't find the ice scraper, but you were fully prepared to chip the ice from your windshield with your Mastercard. And then . . . nothing.

An unseasonably warm December led into a downright toasty January. And you probably joined the rest of the mid-Atlantic in wondering, Is winter canceled, or what?

"I certainly wouldn't put the snow shovels away just yet," National Weather Service meteorologist Dennis Feltgen says. "We still have two-thirds of the meteorological winter to go."

See, there's still hope. And besides, we haven't had a really good, get-back-in-bed snowfall since February 2003. Which means we're due, right?

"Anything can happen," Feltgen says.

So there you have it. Scientifically speaking, we can safely say that we really have no idea whether the big snow is coming soon. But since it never hurts to be prepared, we've compiled a save-for-later list of 20 ways to spend the day should you be lucky enough to get that most welcome of freebies: the snow day.

And, hey, if the snow never arrives in large enough quantities for a day off, you can always fake it. Run to the store, strip the shelves of bread, milk and toilet paper and then call your boss to report a "sudden illness." Just don't tell her it was our idea.

A snow day looks only a little more likely now than it did in July, but lovers of wintry weather remain optimistic. With that in mind, here are suggestions for ways to spend a snowbound day at home -- even if it's only a virtual snow day.

-- Christina Breda Antoniades

Slacker's Delight

Make it a marathon. Cuddle up with a blanket, and park yourself on the sofa for a movie marathon -- with a wintry theme, of course. Five titles in keeping with the season's spirit: "Fargo" (1996), "The Ice Storm" (1997), "Snow Falling on Cedars" (1999), "Touching the Void" (2003) and "March of the Penguins" (2005).

Have a good wine. Make nice with your neighbors by inviting them in for a warm glass of mulled wine. Making it is easy. "Generally, it's just wine and mulled-wine seasonings, which are nutmeg, clove and cinnamon," plus brandy and club soda, says Jon Genderson, co-owner of Schneider's of Capitol Hill. Find a recipe online and get brewing.

For the wine, stick with something that has body, but don't spend a lot. Genderson recommends Legado Muñoz or Bonal, two Spanish tempranillos that cost less than $10 and are tasty un-mulled as well.

Make it a spa day. You don't have to leave home to pamper yourself spa-style. All you need is a little strategic shopping. On your list: essential oils, exfoliating cream and rose petals, if you want to go the extra mile. Set the mood with low lighting, gentle music and scented candles, says Trent Vernon, spa director of Capital City Club and Spa. Then slip into a warm bath with essential oils or soak your tootsies in a pedicure tub.

If you're blessed with a giving spouse, break out the massage oil and bully him or her into a back rub. Men, take note: "If you're really into the spa stuff, you could give your wife a foot massage with exfoliating cream," Vernon says. "Most women love that."

Your Inner Artist

Snap away. While Washington is bathed in white -- and the gobs of tourists are snowed out -- why not get your camera and take some snowscape shots? Just remember that snow may call for modifications to your camerawork, says Kelly Carr-Shaffer, a photography professor at George Washington University.

"If it's a sunny day, you have to deal with another reflective surface," she says. Whether you're using a digital or film camera, you can ensure white snow doesn't come out looking gray by overexposing the subject. (Either use the backlight condition feature on a point-and-shoot or the exposure compensation feature on an SLR, or single-lens reflex.)

Shaffer also recommends keeping your camera warm (put it inside your coat between shots) and dry. And head out in the early morning or late afternoon for photo-friendly lighting.

Make a masterpiece. It won't last once the weather warms up, but why not let the snow bring out your inner Michelangelo? Because snow sculpting is a process of whittling down rather than building up, you'll need to start with a big pile of snow, which you might find in the wake of the snowplow crew, Colorado-based snow sculptor Rob Neyland says. Or make your own pile using trash cans to carry and dump the snow.

Once you've found your mound, get to work carving. Gardening and kitchen utensils make the best tools, Neyland says. Plastic buckets and household containers are good for forming shapes that add dimension to your sculpture. "Anyone can do it," Neyland says. "Everyone has a little bit of art in them."

Burn something. We recommend a CD. It won't keep you warm, but at least your ears will be happy. Make a compilation of your favorite artist's work, whether it's the Best of Barry White or the White Stripes. Or go with other seasonally appropriate performers: Maybe Hank Snow? Phoebe Snow? Snow Patrol? Arctic Monkeys? Johnny Winter? Ice Cube? Vanilla Ice? Nah, not him.

Redesign a room. Always thought the couch would look better in the corner? And covered in faux leopard skin? Now's your chance. Pick a room, and give it a new look.

For best results, view things from a different angle, says Kathryn Carpenter, an interior designer and owner of Manassas-based Chardon Interiors. "We get so used to seeing things being where they are that we never consider them being used somewhere else," she says. So think about moving the antique armoire from the bedroom to the foyer, for example.

A Type-A Day

Tackle your taxes. So, you can't actually call it fun, but getting a jump start on your taxes can be oddly satisfying, if you're into that sort of thing. The good news: "A lot of the information you need you already have, even though you may not have" your W-9s, says Kate Walter, a senior tax adviser with H&R Block's Fairfax Circle office.

Your last pay stub, for example, lists your income for the year and your tax withholding. "You can basically do your return and then wait for the documents to get there" before filing, she says. H&R Block's Web site ( http://www.hrblock.com) has a free tool to help you figure out what you need.

Another good guide: your prior-year tax return. "Use that as a checklist to make sure you've covered all the bases," Walter says. Then get to work collecting whatever information you're missing. Just think how proud Uncle Sam will be.

Get organized. You could continue to avoid your hall closet in the hopes that it and its contents will somehow spontaneously combust, leaving nothing but a greasy black blob. But with the whole day yawning before you, why not tackle a home organization project?

Think small: In one day, you can expect to organize a master bedroom closet, or two hallway or linen closets, or all the drawers in your kitchen, says Bridget Cooper, a professional organizer who runs Pieces in Place in Springfield. Start by sorting items into categories, then go through each pile to determine what to keep and what to toss. The final step is putting things away.

Tips for success: Take hourly breaks, tackle the easiest pile first and buy containers after you've sorted and culled. And when in doubt, throw it out. "Some people hold on to things thinking they might need them someday," Cooper says. "But that someday rarely comes."

Lend a hand. Instead of sitting on your rump all day, set aside a few hours to aid someone else. One idea: Help the elderly. Make it a one-day commitment to a neighbor who might need groceries, transportation, a hot meal or his sidewalk shoveled.

Or take it further and sign up to help with someone's care year-round. To find volunteer opportunities near you, call the U.S. Administration on Aging's Eldercare Locator line at 800-677-1116.

Get a job. Since you're not working at your actual job, how about working on your career? Tweak your résumé and hit the job boards. But avoid the urge to blast your résumé in every direction possible. "Don't fall into the 'ready, fire, aim' trap," says David Opton, chief executive and founder of ExecuNet, an executive networking organization based in Norwalk, Conn. "Research is the name of the game."

Family Bonding Time

Beat your kids. No, not that way. But a good snowball fight can be a nice way to reestablish your place as head of the family. Or it can be a humiliating lesson in the power of the little people. Whichever it is, at least you're all together, which is probably a good thing.

Just remember to bundle 'em up and limit outdoor activities to 30 minutes at a time so the kiddies don't get frozen, says Joseph Wright, executive director of the Child Health Advocacy Institute at Children's Hospital. Of course, you could also go for the kinder-gentler form of family fun and just build a snowman.

Trace Your Roots. Ever wonder why no one in your family talks about Great-Great-Uncle Everett, whose last known address was somewhere in Leavenworth, Kan.? Find the skeletons lurking in your closet or fun facts about your family tree.

Tracking your people can start with a simple online search but is best begun with a few calls to key family members, says Kathleen Hinckley, executive director of the Association of Professional Genealogists. "It's very important to ask them what heirlooms or family documents they might have in their possession" and what they remember about your clan, she says.

Next, take your search online. Hinckley recommends Googling by county and state for genealogy links (but be sure to spell "genealogy" right). You'll find a host of free databases, plus for-fee services. Your library might also have genealogy databases that you can access online using your library card. Or consider hiring a genealogist; fees range from $15 per hour to more than $100 per hour.

Start (or update) the family blog. Time magazine said it: You are the person of the year, which means that if you haven't started blogging, you have a lot of work to do. Fortunately, free Web sites such as Blogster let you bring family and friends up to date on your dating disasters, that ugly workplace spat or the frustrations of living in an apartment beneath someone who likes to dance in clogs at 3 a.m. Don't forget to include that photo of your latest hijinks. Whatever you want -- it's all about you.

Put a freeze on the gadgets."Have the nerve to say, 'No TV, no video today,' " suggests Penny Glass, a developmental psychologist at Children's Hospital. The result: You'll spend quality time with your kids, and they'll be encouraged to play in ways that help them think beyond the mere push of a button.

Feeling Crafty?

Make some weird science. Your home probably isn't equipped with Bunsen burners or racks of test tubes, but that doesn't mean you can't relive some of the excitement of 10th-grade science class. Build a working volcano, create a vortex or make a bubble bomb. Directions abound on the Internet. Just don't blow up the house.

Fancy fiction? Got an urge to get writing? Go for it. Write a short story about being snowbound or mentally escape the cold and set your tale in the heart of the jungle. Be as imaginative as possible. Send it to us.

News you can reuse. Put this paper to good use with a papier-mache project. If you're short on inspiration, consider sculpting a life-size model of yourself. You can even send him in to work the next day. Just don't be offended if it's hours before your co-workers notice.

Peep this. Start your Peeps diorama. Yes, a Peeps diorama. With pop culture (Peeps culture?) as your inspiration, create a dramatic scene in a shoebox using those marshmallow chick things as characters.

Need ideas? How about a scene from "The Peeple vs. Larry Flynt"? Or "Ordinary Peeple"? Or "Peep Goes the Weasel"?

Then take a photo of your diorama, and send it to us at sundaysource@ washpost.com. If we like what we see, we might ask to view it in person. Next month we're going to make a bigger announcement about this contest -- it'll culminate in April -- but here's your chance to get a head start.